Sadr's militia targets Sunnis in Baghdad's mixed neighborhoods; some Shiites coming to support targeting

"The strengthening role of Sadr's Mahdi Army presents a disturbing window onto the possible path of this war. While they claim to be only targeting the "deserving" and are acting to protect their coreligionists, more and more the militia is taking a lead role in the sectarian battle unfolding daily on the ground in Baghdad.
"Some of us told them that our Sunni neighbors aren't terrorists, they should be left alone," says a Shiite man, who asked that his name not be used, estimating that five Sunni families have left his street in the past week. "They wouldn't listen - and some Shiites are now saying the solution is to drive the Sunnis out."
Evidence on the ground shows that militia groups have grown stronger since the current government took power early this year. While US advisory groups, such as the Iraq Study Group, are calling for mediation and reconciliation, street-level combatants seem determined to kill as many representatives of the other side as possible.
. . . 'Originally, months ago, the problem in the neighborhood was between two tribes - the Jiburi and the Maksosy,' says Wissam Hamed, who lives in Hurriyah. 'But the problem is the Jiburi are Sunnis and the Maksosy, Shiites. It became about religion pretty quickly.' "

source
The Christian Science Monitor. Iraq battle lines fracture mixed neighborhoods. December 13, 2006.

posting: thursday, december 14, 2006, 5:09 PM ET